After Nidal finished burying all the bodies, he planted the iron shovel into the soil and walked toward Emily, who was sitting beside Mother Shari's grave, tears filled with burning sorrow streaming from her eyes.
Emily was still in complete shock from what had happened. She had lost everything once again in a single night. She was in a state of utter panic, her emotions—filled with pain and grief—mixed with hatred and resentment toward the militia responsible for all of this… but for what?
Emily broke the heavy, miserable silence by laughing loudly while crying bitterly, muttering her words in a delirious tone:
"And for what did they kill them all… money? Do they truly allow themselves to take people's lives for the sake of money? Wasn't the human soul more valuable than anything else? Aren't those who kill innocents for money lower than what a human should be… isn't killing them justified…?"
Nidal listened to her words in silence, while her voice touched the guilt and suppressed regret buried deep within him.
He took a few steps forward, picked up the iron shovel, and continued walking.
"Where are you going?" Emily asked in confusion.
Nidal stopped for a moment before answering:
"To kill them."
Then he continued walking without looking back at Emily.
At the far southern edge of the village, the militia soldiers who controlled the region were stationed in a massive fortress.
At its center was a large courtyard, often used by the soldiers for training. The horse carts they used for transportation were parked in one corner of the yard.
Beyond the courtyard stood a two-story building that contained the soldiers' rooms. The militia leader Ivan's room was on the second floor, with a window overlooking the courtyard.
The massive fortress gate was guarded by two soldiers holding torches to illuminate the place, which was otherwise swallowed by the deep darkness of the night.
From the shadows, moving toward the torchlight of the guards, a man appeared.
He had black hair and deep dark eyes, holding an iron shovel in his hand.
"Who the hell are you?" one of the guards asked threateningly.
Nidal ignored him and raised the shovel.
BAAAM!!
Blood splattered everywhere. The strike was so fast that the other soldier couldn't even process what had happened.
The shovel pierced one soldier's head, splitting it in half. Before the second soldier could even react, the shovel had already severed his head from his body.
"You killed another person!!!"
Nidal suddenly felt as if time had stopped.
He sensed a woman embracing him from behind, whispering in his ear:
"You swore you would never spill another human soul… you runaway scout… you butcher… you monster."
It was his dead wife.
What he was experiencing was nothing but hallucinations born from the guilt and suppressed sorrow buried inside him for years.
Realizing that, Nidal ignored the hallucination as it slowly faded away.
He stabbed the shovel into the ground and began pushing the massive gate open, while the soldiers who had been training in the courtyard turned toward the gate to see who had arrived at such a late hour.
A few hundred meters away from the fortress, Emily—who had decided to follow Nidal—was passing through the village market.
The market was still crowded with people despite the late hour, as it was known for its wealth of foreign goods.
The village of the Northern Mist Forest was a border settlement, separated from the state of Soro by the enormous Mist Forest, which was filled with countless types of dangerous beasts.
Emily knew that even someone as extraordinarily powerful as Nidal could not stand against a militia of more than three hundred soldiers.
Yet the worry she felt for this mysterious man—whom she owed so much—pushed her forward, even though she barely knew anything about him.
She didn't even know his name.
...
Nidal stood at the entrance of the fortress, staring at the soldiers with hostility.
He activated Manifestation Ru, which allowed him to transform parts of his body into matter.
Both of his arms transformed into sharp black blades, ready for battle.
The raw Ru energy that resided within every human body was the source of all power.
Ru was divided into several factions.
The one Nidal used was Manifestation, but other factions existed as well—such as Transformation Ru, which allowed its user to transform into another creature, and Absorption Ru, which allowed the user to absorb the nature of materials they touched and transform parts of their body into them.
It was somewhat similar to Manifestation Ru, except Manifestation allowed the user to transform their body parts into elements without needing to touch them first.
There were countless types of Ru factions, all depending on the understanding and ability of the user controlling the raw Ru energy.
Anyone could develop a Ru ability or learn a faction, but most people chose to focus on mastering a single faction due to the immense time and effort required.
...
Nidal knew that defeating such a large number required a sudden and precise attack.
A colorless aura of Ru enveloped his blades as he focused all his energy into them.
He dashed toward the soldiers, who were struck with fear despite their numbers due to the overwhelming Ru emanating from him.
His speed far exceeded their defensive reactions.
Before anyone realized what was happening, heads began to fly.
Nidal carved his way through the soldiers, targeting their heads and vital points with deadly strikes.
"We're under attack!"
One terrified soldier shouted as the others began attacking in groups to ambush Nidal.
But his reactions far surpassed theirs.
His sharp blades were even capable of slicing through their Ru-coated swords with ease.
In a fleeting moment, Nidal saw someone jump from one of the building's windows, wearing a long black robe.
The Ru energy emanating from him far exceeded that of the other soldiers.
It was Ivan, the militia leader.
Ivan was a user of Transformation Ru.
Midway through the air between his window and the courtyard, his body began transforming into a massive creature with the head of a lion.
His arms and body expanded rapidly, becoming covered in thick golden fur.
Before he even landed, the transformation was complete—giving him the advantage of surprise.
He slammed the ground with his massive hand, aiming directly at Nidal without caring if he crushed his own soldiers.
Nidal quickly jumped backward to avoid the strike.
Ivan stood in his terrifying transformed state, towering over seven meters tall, staring at his hand now covered with the blood and entrails of his own soldiers.
"So… you're the man who interfered with my troops."
They exchanged sharp gazes before Ivan continued:
"I actually came here myself to kill you. But since I couldn't find you, I left you a small invitation instead."
Ivan laughed mockingly before continuing:
"I was the one who killed that old woman and those children. One of them tried to stop me, so I deliberately injured one of his vital organs… just to watch him die slowly."
Nidal's face darkened as he remembered Arthur's pain and suffering.
He prepared for a sudden attack.
He dashed toward Ivan, who slammed the ground again to crush him.
But Nidal jumped upward, landing on Ivan's arm before launching himself toward his head for a finishing strike.
Ivan quickly realized Nidal's intention.
He raised his arm upward with tremendous force, sending Nidal flying into the air.
Before Nidal could regain his balance, Ivan delivered a powerful punch that slammed him violently into the ground.
Nidal nearly lost consciousness from the impact.
Yet in the distance he saw a woman dressed in pure white, looking at him with disdain, a faint smile on her face.
Another hallucination of his wife.
Nidal tried to regain his focus and stand up to continue the fight, but—
Ivan seized the moment.
He returned to his human form and rushed toward Nidal, delivering a lethal sword strike before Nidal could fully recover.
Nidal tried to think of a strategy to turn the battle in his favor.
But it was too late.
Blood splattered everywhere as Nidal received Ivan's sword strike.
Before he could fully understand what had happened, Ivan had already finished the battle with a strike aimed at his neck.
Nidal's head fell to the ground!!!
[I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The story isn't over:) Nidal still has a lot to experience, haha. Anyway, please share your opinions, criticisms, and questions in the comments. This will help me improve and refine my writing. Thank you very much.]